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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Real-time Monitoring of Ligand-receptor Interactions with Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
Published on: August 20, 2012
Ligand-induced interconversion of a coordination-organized porphyrin dimer: a potential fluorescence-based molecular
Akiharu Satake1, Junichi Tanihara, Yoshiaki Kobuke
1Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Takayama 8916-5, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan. satake@ms.nasit.jp
Abstract:
A novel interconversion system between less-fluorescent stacked (S) dimer and fluorescent extended (E) dimer of the monoimidazolylbisporphyrinatozinc complex was investigated. The addition of pyridine induces transformation from the S to the E dimer, whereas the addition of acetic acid and subsequent heating reverses the transformation. The interconversion rate is controlled by ligand concentration and thermal treatment. The system can be applied to repeatedly readable molecular memory by highly sensitive fluorescence detection.
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When atoms or molecules absorb light at the proper frequency, their electrons are excited to higher-energy orbitals. For many main group atoms and molecules, the absorbed photons are in the ultraviolet range of the electromagnetic spectrum, which cannot be detected by the human eye. For coordination compounds, the energy difference between the d orbitals often allows photons in the visible range to be absorbed and emitted, which is seen as colors by the human eye.

